I would like to mount my water rudder servo in the float. I am tired of messing with a long flexable cable etc....

I have a pair floats made by Ralph Smith from this site. They are great.

Has anyone ever cut a compartment into the top of the float and mounted a servo inside. If so, how do you water proof the opening for the servo, how do you run the arm out the top, do you have to extend the servo arm to stick out of the top?

Any ideas would be great or even better, pictures!

Thanks!

Read through the GP arf float manual... shows how they did the float mounted servo set up. http://www.greatplanes.com/manuals/gpmq1882-manual.pdf


I went with cable myself... I may regret this later but for now I'm happy with the way it works and ease of removal/install. you'll probably need to do something for lateral balance as well if you move the servo into the float... 2 oz moved that far out is bound to make a difference.

John

I am the world's worst proponent of a big ugly floppy loop of nyrod running to the water rudder. Ugly, imprecise, and ugly.

If you take one of Seaplane's floats and carefully cut a pocket in the top of the foam so that you servo will juuuust fit snugly....It will take about 3 drops of water to fill up the cavity so that your servo is immersed. And in the brief period while the servo works you will still have a dorky looking servo lead running from the fuselage to the float. Still ugly, but unreliable.


Here's how you do it on a 1:1 Cub.

Bring some fishing line from the rudder horns forward. I use a sullivan 2-56 eyebolt and not a pulley. One eyebolt at the top of the float strut on the fuselage, one on the bottom of the strut at the top of the float and the lines go back to the water rudder. Scale-like, all but weightless, and very precise. You have to cross the lines ONCE or the WR will work reverse from the Air rudder. You really want them going in the same direction.

Here's how I have done it for my Citabria. I use the same floats for my 80" Midwest Extra 300 XS. It works very well.

I tried the push pullsetup on all the planes controls. Perfect. Straight runs and no slop.

Also did the 4 servos in the tail 0f my A 10. Perfect. 2 to 3" long pushrods, no slop.

I am pulling out the (2) 4' NYROD cables running to the tail of the China Clipper. Battery is almost out the nose. Going to the push pull, 10# fish line set ups. Lot of drag and some friction slop now. Should put the battery near the wing when changed and allow a normal access thru a wing mounting hole.